[Philmont] A better idea

Take a solid plastic bowl. Not a reusable one, but one with a little heft to
it. Start with one that can survive a dishwasher and go in a freezer. Won't
melt under high temperatures or crack in the cold. Make sure it has a lid
that works, goes on and stays on. Take an old sleeping pad and cut it up so
it molds around the bowl. (You don't need to do the lid and it is hard to
get insulation on the lid and then use the lid.) Glue and duct tape the pad
to the bowl. Start at the bottom so you end up with a very flat stable
bottom so the bowl does not roll over.

When you get done you have a well insulated bowl and lid. Why?

A bowl with a lid does not spill its contents. An insulated bowl keeps food
hot. A bowl is a lot easier to hit when pouring hot water or dishing food
into. The hot water does not give your fingers a third degree burn and you
don't end up licking your gloves to start your meal. While everyone else is
sitting around trying to hold a very hot plate or complaining because their
food got cold, you have something you can hold that keeps your food warm.
While you are waiting for the food to rehydrate put the lid on. No one can
kick it over and spill the food making a mess and losing your dinner and no
one can kick dirt into it. If you need to stir, grab the bowl and the lid
and just shake the second and third time. (Stir the first when you pour the
hot water in.) A lid keeps chicken noodle soup or ramen noodles from
getting all over your down bag if someone kicks it in a tent. (Not eating in
your tent? Nice to be on McKinley and have good weather the entire time,
lucky you.) (I don't know why but there is a law in the universe that
attracts chicken noodle soup to down sleeping bags. The law about ramen
noodles exists but is not absolute like chicken noodle soup.)

When you are done clean the bowl. Take your personal hand towel, spoon, etc
and snap into the bowl. You won't lose them in the bear bag or your pack.
I run a strip of reflective tape around the side and a small strip on the
lid and the bottom so I can always spot them. Nothing worse than digging
through your gear looking for your bowl when the food is being handed out.
(Always reminded me of 17th century UK novels.)

Jim Moss

From: Philmont@troop47.com [mailto:Philmont@troop47.com] On Behalf Of John
LeBlanc
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 5:34 AM
To: Philmont List Member
Subject: [Philmont] And that's the way it is

Just tear off the top carefully, have the diner hold it by the top edges,
and have the cook carefully pour 1/2 cup or so of not quite boiling water in
the bag. Stir a little, wait a
little, and dig in. You can eat it with a spoon (spork) or just squeeze it.

Dave Smith

***************************************************

Dave is correct. You can do that. You can also stir it with your finger
and use no utensils at all. And there are other ways still to come.

However!

There are a few things I do enjoy enjoy even on backpacking trips. My
Therm-a-rest, my Crazy Creek, my North Face Blue Kazoo down bag, my Asolo
leather boots, my NON CROC camp shoes, my Lexan bowl and spoon and my
stainless steel cup.

The SS cup and spoon even go with me in a daypack or a fanny pack. I'm
never without a cup---------------never. Years ago it was a canteen cup
which served me well pre Army and in the Army from 1967-69. I've boiled a
lot of water to drink in it, cooked a lot of food and washed and boiled out
a few pieces of cloth to clean/steralize them also.

I don't go without my cup.

Mark don't go without his blankie.

I don't go without my cup.

It's a luxury I truly enjoy.

It's been a long time since I just added water to the envelope of anything.
It always goes on top of the hot water after heating it in my cup, stir with
the spoon and with manners eat it, drink it, spoon it.

I have nothing against those who eat oatmeal out of the envelope, I just
don't.

It's pretty popular with PhilRangers to take a swig of water and a shot of
oatmeal and slosh it around in the mouth and down the hatch it goes. I
choose not to, but that's fine if they want to and the Scouts follow suit.
Gatorade too for that matter.

There are multiple ways to skin a cat. You can start at the head or you can
start at the tail or you can start at any point in between those two and
what you get in the end is the same, a skinned cat. Same way with preparing
food and eating food.

As Walter Cronkite would say, "And that's the way it is on October 24,
2007".

John LeBlanc

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Received on Wed Oct 24 12:18:42 2007